We recently hosted a web meeting with a group of women CEOs and investors. The goals of the meeting were twofold: First, to determine if these women leaders experienced bias in fundraising. The second goal was to develop strategies to deal with stated bias. Here are 8 take-home lessons and observations. A bonus lesson is …
Raising Capital for Women Led Companies – Some Insights From Women Read More »
Many women CEOs raising capital believe that bias against women exists. We know that 90% of VCs are male. Our calculations show that 80% of angel investors are men. So bias, whether deliberate or unconscious, could be expected. (Controversial) Question: Is there an actual bias against women entrepreneurs seeking investment? Continue reading to see why I …
This post covers a little-used yet very effective method of increasing funding for small yet high-impact ventures. The secret is combining funding from both non-profit donors and for-profit investors. This of course applies only to impact-driven ventures and only at early stages. The mystery is, exactly how do you do this while remaining both legal …
Vision Mastery in Action – The Jericho Center – 3 Surprising Lessons Read More »
With investors, the Rule of Three can make or break your funding. Passion. Product. Team. But there is a fourth element to that equation. Entrepreneurs tend to think pitching should embody one or even all three of those elements. But they would be wrong as they don’t understand myths that kill investor interest. There are …
Three Pitching Myths That Kill Investor Interest Read More »
In our previous blog, you may recall that old-style pitching damages trust and eventually generates a low valuation with investors. This low valuation means you lose control and much of your power; this creates chaos in the boardroom because of your loss of control and is the source of endless headaches. Adding pain to the …
Boost Investor Valuation Big-Time by Building Trust Read More »
When you seek capital, a growing company’s investor valuation is critical because if you get funding and your valuation is low, you’re going to lose control of the company or at the very least have less power. And you’ll have less cash when you exit. The effect of a low valuation is substantial on …
#1 How to align with investors when pivoting Building a profitable venture is hard for many entrepreneurs, even with a top-notch product or service. From raising funds and putting together a winning team to converting that first prospect into revenue, turning any idea into a business is a scary deal. So, when that first idea …
How to Keep Investors Happy When Pivoting – A Four-Point Guide Read More »
Investor Valuation Angel investors (like venture capital investors) want to make money, but they know that most companies they invest in will never pay them anything. They just know that. It’s in the statistics. And they know it from personal experience. After I invested in the first 10 companies a decade ago (before I figured …
What is the one fact you can know about pivoting that will impress angel investors? Refer to the famous TED talk by Bill Gross (VC and founder of IdeaLab) “The Biggest Single Reason Why Startups Succeed” If he’s right, and I believe he is, and so if good timing is the most predictive factor in …
Sheryl Sandberg is the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Facebook, and her unique form of leadership is a vital part of the story of the social media company’s success. She obtained her master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She also earned a Bachelor of Art & Science from Harvard University. Both she …
Sheryl Sandberg’s Message to Vision Masters about Startup Valuation Read More »